The Kage's Bunshin
by sademerkki
Summary: A/U. What might have been if Jiraiya had helped Naruto truly master the Kage Bunshin no Jutsu during their training trip? Follows Canon closely. Not Super Strong/Smart Naruto. Starts post battle with Pein, changes explained through flashbacks. Discontinued, up for adoption.
1. Prologue

So, this is a short prologue for my new story (the last new story for Naruto I will write.) The rest of the first real chapter is gonna have a lot of flashbacks to explain how things got this way, so it'll take some time to write, but I wanted to put this up for now. Anyway, there are a lot of fics on this site like this and I've been largely disappointed by the ones that start after the fight with Pein (too much super strong/smart Naruto, this wont be much like that), so hopefully this will be more satisfying for me and you. : )

Disclaimed.

* * *

As Naruto stumbled through the forest, he marveled at the beauty of the sun piercing the shadows and thought of all the things he still had to do. He let out a muffled groan. He was exhausted from his fight with Pein and mostly just wanted to go to sleep at this point. But he had important information for Baa-chan that couldn't wait. He also wanted to make sure that everyone was really ok. Even though Pein brought everyone he'd killed back to life, he needed to see for himself that his precious people were safe and sound.

That was going to be hard, though, considering he was in the process of tripping over his own feet. At this point, if he fell he didn't think he'd be getting up for awhile. But just as he closed his eyes and gave into gravity, he hit a soft surface with a slightly rough texture that scratch his cheek reassuringly. He opened a bleary eye to see his sensei looking at him over his shoulder.

Naruto breathed a sigh of relief and smiled, "Kakashi-sensei."

"Good job." Kakashi eye-smiled. "Just rest now." With that, he hoisted Naruto onto his back and began the trek back to the village.

Naruto, however, had different thoughts in mind. "Kakashi-sensei, I need to speak to Baa-chan as soon as we get back." He stated firmly.

There was a slight hitch in Kakashi's step, but he kept going in silence for a moment. Before he could speak, though, Naruto beat him to it.

"Kakashi-sensei, what happened?" He asked worriedly.

Kakashi sighed before answering, "She's in a coma. When she protected the village, she used Infuin: Kai and it drained most of her chakra. Also, as you know, that jutsu rapidly ages the user. The strain it placed on her body put her in a coma. To be honest, if she wasn't a Senju, she might not have survived it at all at her age."

Naruto let out a ragged sigh, "Katsuyu, do you think she'll wake up?"

Katsuyu slimed her way out of Naruto's jacket and proceeded to climb into his head. He repressed a shudder at the sensation and vowed to take a long bath later.

"Hai, Naruto-kun, but it may take awhile, her body is very weak right now."

"Thank goodness, well if I can't talk to her yet, then I need to speak with the council as soon as possible." Naruto said decisively.

"Hmm, I suggest you speak to Shikaku, then. He's the jounin commander and is currently in charge of our military forces. He also holds the fourth highest seat on the council below the elders. He'll be alerted as soon as the council is called to session and considering the circumstances that should be soon." Kakashi replied carefully.

He wondered what Naruto had planned and hoped he knew what he was doing. The council was notoriously finicky in its decision making. One wrong word could land Naruto in boiling water.

"Before you do that, though, the entire village is waiting for you, Sakura and the rest of the Konoha eleven included. And remember to be very careful with your words and respectful. Since you just saved the village from Pein, the council will probably at least see you, but you're young and they don't have to listen to you."

Naruto thought for a moment before answering, "I understand. Thank you, Kakashi-sensei."

Naruto stayed silent after this exchange, saving his strength and trying to remember everything he had never learned about etiquette. He had a rough idea of what he wanted to say, but he'd have to be very careful since two of his primary sources of information were deceased Akatsuki members. Ironic, that.

As they started cresting the last hill before the village, a clone popped into existence next to the two ninja and quickly transformed into an ANBU with a dog mask. He thought a fox mask would be more suitable, but might draw too much attention. After a nod of approval from Kakashi (he had been Inu when he was a member of ANBU Black ops), the clone went off to seek out Shikaku.

* * *

The original Naruto drew in a sharp breath when he saw everyone in the village standing and waiting to welcome him home. The crowd broke out in cheers and he allowed himself to relax completely and bask in the warmth of the people surrounding him.

Shikaku watched the festivities from a distance, with a stern expression on his face. It wasn't that he wasn't happy, no, but he was a veteran and knew that the village was at its most vulnerable now. Hence his watchful expression. As the current leader of Konoha's ninja, it fell to him to look after the village while the Godaime was incapacitated, and he didn't doubt that certain elements of the village would take advantage of the situation.

An ANBU landed next to him and Shikaku slid his eyes to the right to see that the man bore a dog mask. Judging by the height and build, however, it was not Kakashi. Shikaku tensed imperceptibly, ready to signal for backup in an instant while he eyed the newcomer lazily.

"Shikaku-no-occhan." The masked and cloaked figure spoke.

Shikaku's eyes flicked over to Naruto getting tossed up in the air before looking back at the "ANBU."

"You know that there are severe penalties for impersonating a member of ANBU, right Naruto?" He drawled lazily.

Naruto chuckled nervously, while Inoichi stood to Shikaku's left silently, reassessing the boy he'd argued with earlier. "Kakashi-sensei gave me permission; I needed to speak to you without drawing a lot of attention. Since Tsunade-baa-chan is in a coma, I'll have to report to the council directly."

Shikaku gave Naruto a long stare before asking bluntly, "What's your real reason for wanting to speak to the council?"

He could almost see Naruto's grin as he replied smugly, "It's about a certain tree's rotten roots."

Inoichi's eyes widened to the size of saucers and Shikaku rose his eyebrows and asked one more question, "How long?"

The boy's tone of voice was subdued when he replied, "Since Yamato-taichou joined Team 7. Everything's ready now."

Shikaku noticed that Naruto failed to mention his other newer teammate; Sai joined Team 7 at the same time as Tenzo (Codename:Yamato.) Shikaku still remembered the Godaime's rage at having a member of ANBU Ne (Root) placed on one of HER teams. But how had Naruto gotten information from one of Danzo's own? The Sandaime had tried to find a crack in ANBU Ne for decades and even the Godaime had struggled with Danzo's meddling. It seemed his son was right about this boy.

Shikaku nodded slightly at the boy and turned his eyes back to the celebration, "You'll have to talk to them in person; you can wait with me for the council to be called, but the real you is gonna have to sneak away if you don't want to alert your watchers."

Naruto's mask bobbed in acquiescence, hoping no Hyuuga would cast their Byakugan in his direction. "Once we're out of sight, I'll switch."

The three males stood silently, watching the crowd; each with their own thoughts focused on the future of Konoha.

* * *

R&R Please


	2. The Pervert's Mistake

Ok. I had a request for fast releases, so here you go. Still sort of short for a first ch. but next chapter council meeting part 1 and explanation of the whole Sai/Danzo fiasco. Also recap from Naruto's return to Konoha to the end of his battle with Pain. There are a few things I've changed about that arc, so I'll cover them then. Anyway, enjoy. : )

Disclaimed.

* * *

Sai stood in the crowd, quietly and faithfully watching his friend be lauded. Suddenly, his and Naruto's eyes met for an instant before the blonde-haired boy returned his attention to the crowd. That was the signal; Naruto had successfully kawarimi'd with a clone.

Sai slowly but surely sunk into the crowd's embrace, waiting until the Ne that were watching him and Naruto were at an angle where they couldn't view him before using Kawarimi on a clone Naruto had left near him under a henge of a nondescript civilian. Immediately, both him and the clone switched appearances while the Ne operatives were left none the wiser.

Sai and Naruto had practiced the timing in the past at his behest; if they wanted to do anything about Danzo, he would need to be able to disappear at a moment's notice. Thankfully, no one seemed to have realized how a combination of kage bunshin, kawarimi and henge could allow Naruto to take another person's place with minimal effort. It was one of the many covert uses of kage bunshin that he had helped Naruto develop.

Not proof against the Hyuuga, but he knew for a fact that there were no Hyuuga in ANBU Ne. Fortunately. Not to say that Danzo didn't have spies in the Hyuuga branch house, and the main house for that matter, but Hiashi was a very watchful man and none of his clan would be able to report to Danzo in time even if they did notice that something was amiss.

When the civilian had bumped into him earlier and poked him playfully in the ribs, he knew the time had come. He heard a slight whisper on the breeze, 'council; when boss looks, we both switch' and waited for the signal. Sai was now moving through the crowd unobtrusively, making his way to the tree line. He had a rendezvous to keep.

* * *

Shikaku stood in front of a stone carved in honor of Jiraiya of the Sannin, feeling like he was intruding on something private. There was a copy of the Tale of the Gutsy Ninja and a bouquet of paper flowers sitting in front of it. The stone had only the kanji for Shi (teacher), but Shikaku knew without having to ask that it referred to Jiraiya.

He wondered why he had consented to wait here with his ANBU escorts when he had already been summoned to the meeting with the Daimyo. Naruto's clone had created yet another clone to bring them here and stayed behind to switch with the original. The kage bunshin dispersed after leading them to the little memorial, but Shikaku couldn't help but marvel that Naruto could manage such chakra intensive ninjutsu when he looked like he could barely stand up.

There was a rustle in the bushes and two figures in white cloaks stepped out. His two ANBU guards stood down when he waved a careless hand at them, but he was a bit surprised that Naruto had managed to get his teammate Sai away from Ne's constant supervision. Probably more kage bunshin tricks. It was clearly Naruto's favorite jutsu by far.

"It almost looks like you planned all this, Naruto." Shikaku drawled.

Naruto grinned sheepishly, scratching his head, "We expected that one day we'd have to ditch Ne and get to the Hokage, but we never expected that it would be under these circumstances." He sobered at that, "I let Kakashi-sensei know that me and Sai would be replaced by clones, so he'll make sure no one finds out we're gone."

Shikaku nodded a bit and motioned for them to move out. He'd make sure to find out more about this plan of Naruto's by the time they reached the council's meeting place. With any luck, the boy actually had enough evidence against Danzo to keep what he feared from coming to pass. He had served as jounin commander for three out of five of the Hokage, having been chosen by the Yondaime at the start of his short reign and had no desire for the fourth to be Danzo.

He took a sidelong glance at Naruto, wondering when the boy had changed so much. Not that he had known him very well in the first place, but his son had never commented on the boy being particularly intelligent. Shikaku figured that the changes in Naruto must have something to do with Jiraiya-sama...

* * *

Flashback/

Jiraiya of the Sannin was a courageous man, but it couldn't be said that their weren't moments where that courage might be better described as foolhardiness. Jiraiya's "tweaking" Naruto's seal was one of those moments and it nearly cost him his life.

Naruto had managed the Oodama Rasengan a year into their trip, along with basic genjutsu disruption and slightly more skillful taijutsu. The boy was coming along nicely and had finally started to think a little before jumping headfirst into battle. Then again, getting your ass handed to you by your sensei day in and day out, even an idiot will figure out that the direct approach wont cut it.

Now he'd decided to test Naruto's control in another way. He'd made Naruto spend the last month doing something that he hated, meditation. Jiraiya had told Naruto that only if he was able to master the Kyuubi's chakra would he be able to use the Fourth's most powerful jutsu, the Hiraishin.

Of course that got the boy's attention, even if he did still whine about having to sit still so much. Now it was time to put that work to the test and see how well Naruto could control the Nine-tails.

He brought out Gamatora and convinced him to tweak Naruto's seal, which the toad did reluctantly. And that's when everything started going to hell. Kyuubi's chakra started pouring out of Naruto. Jiraiya tried to suppress it only to get slashed across the chest in the process.

Thankfully the chakra suppressor was kicking in a bit, although it wasn't enough to fully suppress the chakra. Fortunately, Naruto's body could only stay in this state so long and it looked like it wouldn't last much longer. Unfortunately, just when the chakra was starting to dissipate, Naruto's consciousness reasserted control, showing the belated usefulness of Naruto's month meditating.

Normally this would be a good sign of progress, but when Naruto regained control of his now three chakra tails, he saw the damage he had done to his sensei. The boy was horrified and ran away before Jiraiya could restrengthen the seal. Naruto's guilt combined with the still weakened seal was enough to completely overpower the chakra suppressor that had been placed on him and more and more of the Kyuubi's chakra started spilling out.

Luckily, Jiraiya had chosen a very remote location for this experiment and Naruto running away gave the sage time to patch up his wounds and get to a safe distance. Not that that would help him if he didn't figure out a way to suppress the Kyuubi before it broke the seal. He called forth sage mode as Naruto reached six tails and finally returned to attack him.

By the time Naruto reached eight-tails, Jiraiya was getting desperate. He was beginning to tire and was starting to think he'd have to do something desperate to save his student. Something that might get him killed and leave Naruto defenseless. He was cursing his stupidity already and didn't know how he would salvage this nightmarish situation without basically delivering Naruto to Akatsuki.

Before he could act, though, the Kyuubi's chakra suddenly disappeared, leaving Naruto a bloody, hairless mess, but otherwise safe and sound. Jiraiya checked the seal to find it completely restored and more powerful than ever. Flummoxed, he slipped a food pill and blood pill into Naruto's mouth to speed his recovering, once again did the same for himself along with a soldier pill and summoned a toad to get them the hell out of there before they attracted the wrong type of attention.

Naruto later told him that Minato had fixed his seal and told him that he was his father—and that he believed in his ability to both bring peace to the ninja world like he'd promised Ero-sennin a few months ago and stop Madara. Heavy expectations for a boy that was barely fourteen years of age.

After that Naruto got a lot more serious about his training. He still felt guilty over hurting Jiraiya and was terrified that he'd nearly broken the Kyuubi's seal if it weren't for his father's interference. Jiraiya insisted that it wasn't Naruto's fault, but the knowledge of what had nearly happened had a profound effect on the boy.

He'd been angry at Jiraiya for not telling him that Minato was his father, but he forgave him after getting him to agree to tell him about his dad, including the requisite embarrassing stories from when Minato was growing up. Of which there were surprisingly few, to Naruto's annoyance.

Minato had been a quiet and serious boy, but very good-natured. He had been unreasonably normal for a ninja, although that made sense considering he grew up between the second and third ninja wars. He was a genius, but he never dreamed of anything besides becoming a good ninja and having a family since he was a war orphan.

Being Hokage had actually been his wife's dream and she was the embodiment of his (sometimes violent) determination to protect his home and loved ones. Naruto's father could have been an honorary Nara but for how hard he'd always worked.

Naruto drank in the stories of his father and mother Uzumaki Kushina and one day when he was working on the Hiraishin, he took a break to ask "ero-sennin" to teach him sealing. Both his parents had known a great seal about seals, particularly his father, and since the Uzumaki clan had been seal specialists, he thought it only suitable that he learn as well.

Jiraiya was hesitant to say the least; he was certain that Naruto would blow himself up and told the boy so. To which Naruto replied that the Kyuubi would heal him, or that he could use Kage Bunshin to test his seals. That gave Jiraiya the idea to speed up Naruto's training using Kage Bunshin and after that Naruto's training became even more intense.

Jiraiya still insisted that Naruto take time to smell the flowers though, becoming very stern about making him quit when he was exhausted and dragging him to every festival they ran across. He also tried ceaselessly to hook the boy up with any cute girls they came across, but Naruto was dead-set on Sakura especially after discovering that his mother had red hair. Once he'd heard that, Jiraiya almost died laughing at the look on the boy's face when he teased Naruto over his supposed mother complex.

Still, other than that and the occasional Popsicle, Naruto's training was extreme and in the process of using the Kage Bunshin no jutsu constantly for sparring, further refining the Oodama Rasengan and learning seals, by the end of the training trip Naruto gained inherent mastery over the forbidden technique. He could create clones without using hand-seals and eventually even came to control where exactly the clones would appear.

It even got to the point that as long as he was only creating a small number of clones, he could make them appear behind trees or behind bushes in various positions so that their presence wouldn't be discovered. And all this without batting an eyelash. Only a person like the Hyuuga that could see the movement of chakra within the body would be able to catch him at it.

The only major problem he had in his training was using his bunshin to study seals. The jutsu allowed him to create perfect copies of himself and his clothing and weapons were just an extension of that. But cloning a book on seals and reading it? Putting aside Naruto's difficulties with reading, the jutsu couldn't copy a full book of information that he'd never read.

His solution was to read a page on seals, not understand it, badger Jiraiya for an indecipherable explanation and then create a bunch of clones to go over that page with each other and try to understand it while he did other training. Usually after doing this a few or more times, he would have the information down and could move on.

It was a slow-going process that was full of frustrations for Naruto, but he stuck with it bullheadedly. Perhaps more impressive was that Jiraiya stuck with it. Considering all the times he had to repeat the same answers in a different way in order to try to get Naruto to understand, he figured he must have the patience of a saint.

After a year of near constant frustration and effort, Naruto made it past the basics of seals. He could finally use the flash step, even if he couldn't aim yet. It used up damn near all of his chakra when he did though, so he wouldn't be able to use it in combat until he'd mastered Kuubi's chakra.

His father had theorized to Jiraiya once that if one had enough chakra, they could use Hiraishin without seals, and Jiraiya being Jiraiya had figured out how and then taught Naruto. By the end of that year, his taijutsu and genjutsu disruption had reached a tolerable level and Jiraiya decided to leave advanced training to Kakashi who had a greater specialty in these areas.

For the last six months before they returned to Konoha, Jiraiya focused on forcing Naruto to master the intermediate concepts of seals. It was like pulling teeth for the boy, but he eventually got it. On the other hand, Jiraiya refused to let the boy memorize any but the basic seals and the standard intermediate ones.

He insisted that he wanted Naruto to get to a point where he could puzzle out advanced sealing theory on his own if there wasn't time for him to teach the boy more for awhile. Maybe Jiraiya had a premonition about the future but he wanted to make sure that Naruto had all the basic tools he'd need to survive by the end of this trip.

Other than than they worked on toad summoning techniques, aiming the Hiraishin, strategy and surprisingly enough the basics of politics. Jiraiya claimed even a charismatic Hokage like Minato needed to understand rudimentary politics and the laws of the ninja world.

In the last month, though, once Naruto had finally gotten to a point where he could aim the Hiraishin fairly well and had more or less mastered the intermediate theory of sealing, Jiraiya taught Naruto the final skill set that any aspiring combat-oriented seal master needed: the ability to draw seals using only chakra and hand-seals.

The theory behind it was complex despite the fact that there were only twelve hand-seals. Or rather, because of that fact. To describe the complexity of even a basic seal using only chakra and a combination of twelve hand-seals was a feat that usually only seal masters could manage and not even many of them bothered, but Jiraiya was adamant and since the focus and control required to engrave seals with chakra was immense, it was a hellish month for the fifteen year old.

He told Naruto that he would be leaving Konoha to learn more about Akatsuki after he "delivered" him to Konoha—to which Naruto squawked that he was not a package! But Jiraiya wanted him to study advanced sealing on his own after he got back to Konoha and he'd eventually need to know how to make seals using chakra if he wanted to become a fighting seal master.

To the old pervert's relief, Naruto didn't seem to notice the implication that Jiraiya might not be able to help him once he got to that point. He also gave Naruto specific instructions to never use untested seals on himself or anyone else, at least until he had attained his seal mastery. Also to always test seals he'd just learned with his bunshin for safety. That lecture was the most serious he'd ever seen Jiraiya and he promised to be careful.

Jiraiya just hoped that he wouldn't come back to Konoha to find his last apprentice a charred smear on the ground from a seal that had back-fired. Even after all of Naruto's hard work and progress, he still had his reservations about the wisdom of teaching a kid like Naruto such a complex and dangerous art. Well, the boy had his father's determination and his mother's luck, so he'd be fine. Probably.

End Flashback/

R&R Please : )


	3. Hokage

Short ch. for Kage's Bunshin as promised. I finally know where I'm going with this fic. Completely different than what I originally intended, lol.

Disclaimed.

As Naruto entered the council chambers, he struggled not to glare at the bastard that had caused so much suffering and was now poised to usurp his baa-chan's position. He had no doubt that if Danzo became Hokage Tsunade would never wake from her coma one way or another.

Suppressing the rage he felt for the man, he remained standing silently beside Shikaku as he was introduced. His desperate battle with Nagato had taught him control and he wasn't about to lose it at such a critical time. His promise to his father and Nagato still rung in his ears and his hands trembled slightly with the knowledge that this was the first test in keeping his word.

The Daimyo looked at him curiously and asked in a high-pitched, nasal voice,

"So you're the boy that defeated the leader of Akatsuki? What is it you wish to speak to us about, Uzumaki-kun?"

Naruto smiled at the Daimyo's indulgence despite the gravity of the situation.

He bowed his head gratefully before he spoke, "Thank you for hearing me, Daimyo-sama. I came because before his death Pain told me that he is not the true leader of Akatsuki; Uchiha Madara is. I have also learned that Madara was responsible for the Kyuubi attack sixteen years ago."

Naruto spoke grimly, stating the situation as plainly as possible. Regardless, the Daimyo's aides had all gone pale by the end and the Daimyo himself was gaping. Even Shikaku was wide-eyed and Koharu and Homura were visibly disturbed.

The only person who remained unaffected was Danzo, confirming Naruto's suspicion that the man already knew of Madara's existence.

Shikaku was the first to react, "Do you have and evidence to support this?"

Naruto nodded, already knowing it would take more than the word of one of Konoha's enemies to convince the council of the danger Akatsuki posed. He steeled himself for the council's reaction to his next announcement.

"Jiraiya tested my ability to control the Kyuubi during our training trip. I wasn't ready and I lost control."

Naruto's featured took on a frustrated and regretful cast as he remembered the harm he'd done to his shishou.

"This activated a safety measure that was part of the seal. My father appeared in my mind and told me of Madara's part in the Kyuubi attack. Then he renewed the seal so I would have some time to gain control of the Kyuubi's chakra before the seal started weakening again."

He waited for the inevitable reaction. The ninja in the room who knew of his parentage were scrutinizing him carefully while the Daimyo merely looked confused.

Once again it was Shikaku who broke the silence.

"You met Yondaime-sama?" He asked quietly.

Naruto nodded at the man who had obviously been one of his father's friends even as he and Shikamaru were.

The Daimyo looked at him in comprehension. "I wasn't aware that the Yondaime had a son."

His tone was surprised but not shocked and Naruto couldn't help but be impressed that a non-ninja could be so collected even after the recent revelations. The man's aides were a different story as they still looked about ready to faint.

The Daimyo looked to the ninja for an explanation and Koharu spoke somewhat reluctantly.

"The Sandaime decided the boy would be in danger from Iwa and made his heritage an S-ranked secret. The Godaime never rescinded that order."

The Daimyo looked back at Naruto consideringly and Homura took his turn to speak.

"Even if the boy knows now, it would be best not to make this public knowledge. Konoha is in no position to be going to war with Iwa."

The Daimyo nodded his head distractedly and Danzo finally spoke; his calm, measured words drawing the attention of everyone.

"Since it seems Madara survived his battle with the Shodai, it is even more imperative that we appoint a new Hokage to protect Konoha and keep Madara from obtaining the Kyuubi."

To everyone's surprise it was Naruto who responded, sounding calm despite his heart pounding in his chest. Fighting with words was nothing like fighting with fists.

"Before that, there's one more thing I need to inform the council of. Godaime-sama sent one of my summons to bring me back from Myobokuzan, but Kosuke never arrived. We only realized Konoha was being attacked when his name disappeared from the summons list. Nagato brought all of the people he killed back to life, but Kosuke wasn't among them.

Which means that someone went against Godaime-sama's order and killed him in order to prevent me from being summoned back to the village."

Naruto stared at Danzo the entire time he spoke and the room descended into a tense silence.

Naruto held Danzo's neutral gaze before looking back at the Daimyo.

"Unfortunately, it seems we may never know who's responsible or what their motives were; although I will say that Madara's existence was not the only intel that Nagato confirmed for me."

No one spoke for a moment before Homura cleared his throat and asked pointedly.

"Uzumaki, if you knew of Madara since your training trip, why are we only being informed now."

Naruto nodded in acknowledgment of the question and answered without hesitation.

"Jiraiya informed Tsunade-sama immediately, but she decided that until there was further proof of his existence it would be best not to say anything and risk causing a panic. She probably would have announced it after we encountered an unknown Sharingan on the last mission to retrieve Uchiha Sasuke, but immediately after that we received news of Jiraiya's death and put everything else aside to prepare for the fight with Pein."

Naruto's eyes drooped sadly at the mention of his mentor's death and the Daimyo shook his head in regret. "He was a great man. Danzo-san is correct, however. If that Uchiha Madara is still alive, we cannot afford to wait for the Godaime to recover."

Shikaku seized his chance and spoke before Danzo. "I nominate Uzumaki Naruto."

The silence of the room was deafening. Naruto was the one gaping now, staring at Shikaku with startled, wide eyes.

The Daimyo merely hmmed,however and looked the flummoxed young man over before nodding his head thoughtfully.

"He is young, but he is both the Yondaime's son and a student of the Toad Sage as the Yondaime was. He was also taught by the Yondaime's student I believe; the line of descent seems most fitting."

Koharu looked horrified and objected immediately.

"He is but a child, Daimyo-sama. Even his father was several years older when he was nominated. Not to mention the risks his lack of control of the Kyuubi and his obsession with redeeming the traitor Uchiha Sasuke pose. There are good reasons why choosing a jinchuuriki, especially an inexperienced one, would be a dangerous decision right now. Just consider what happened to the Kazekage."

Naruto wanted to growl when the old bat didn't refer to him by name, but he forced himself to calm down and consider her words. He didn't wish to risk Konoha and they really couldn't afford to put him in a position where Konoha might be held hostage to gain the Kyuubi. His mouth tightened grimly as he realized that that could happen regardless. He was still shaken by Shikaku's nomination, but he needed a solution and fast.

After the old harpy's tirade was finished she was red in the face and the Daimyo seemed to consider her words carefully.

He looked at Shikaku askance, "You would be the one serving directly under him, Shikaku and I know you to be a level-headed man. Why of all the possible candidated did you choose to nominate Naruto?"

Shikaku steepled his fingers in front of him and ignored Naruto's still shocked gaze.

"Several reasons. One is that he has brought us numerous allies in the few years he's been serving Konoha. We will need those allies to fight Akatsuki.

Two: he has shown the ability to both protect Konoha and think of the village's future simultaneously. If this issue was brought up in this meeting, I had considered nominating Hatake Kakashi, but he isn't the one who is here warning us of the true threat that Akatsuki poses, Naruto is.

Third and finally, in the words of my son, this boy makes people want to follow him. Konoha is different from Suna that hesitated to retrieve their Kazekage. Konoha's ninja will fight to the man to protect the Hokage. If we wish to keep the Kyuubi out of Madara's hands, there is no greater protection we can offer."

The Daimyo stared at the man in bemusement before shifting his gaze to the quiet boy. He was even more intrigued now that he had heard the man speak so passionately. Shikaku was not a passionate man by nature and to hear the man speak so of the boy weighed heavily in Naruto's favor.

Danzo cleared his throat. "Still, Koharu is correct. The boy may be a good choice in a few years, but he is hardly ready now. Such a vital role cannot be entrusted to one so inexperienced."

He opened his mouth to continue, but was cut off.

"I'm surprised you would say such a thing, Danzo-sama." The respectful title tasted like ash on Naruto's tongue, but he forced himself to continue smoothly.

"Haven't you yourself entrusted the most difficult task of all to someone who was only a boy?"

Danzo showed no reaction but to narrow his eyes a little, but he said nothing further.

The Daimyo looked to Danzo who remained stubbornly silent.

The boy had some talent for politics as well if he could sway the calculating jounin commander to his cause and then proceed to shut up the old war hawk.

While the council elders were clearly disapproving, which would cause its own problems, naming the hero of Konoha Hokage would undoubtedly boost morale. More than that, the boy seemed like he might actually shape up to be a good choice.

The Daimyo remembered when his father officially named Sarutobi the Sandaime Hokage. He'd been a little offended that a boy barely older than him was deemed capable enough to become Hokage, while he would not succeed to Daimyo for many more years.

When he'd confronted his father about it, the man said that age had very little to do with leadership capability. What's needed is the ability to think ahead, determination to rule well, the charisma to make people follow you, and the willingness to overpower your opposition. He'd been reassured (kind of) that if the situation called for it, he too would be called upon to lead.

The boy certainly showed the beginnings of all of these traits. It might be a little early, but time was of the essence and considering the fifty years that Sandaime proceeded to lead Konoha well even after a shaky start, the Daimyo thought that maybe growing into the position wasn't such a bad thing after all.

"Naruto, do you think you're ready to become Hokage?" There was one other thing a leader needed, he recalled, and he didn't hesitate to test the boy.

Naruto stared hard at the table for a moment before meeting the Daimyo's gaze.

"I may not be, but if called to I will protect Konoha no matter what the cost to me." His eyes blazed in determination even as his fisted hands shook visibly.

The Daimyo smiled; humility. The last thing his father told him a great leader needed.

He nodded, satisfied with the youth's answer. "Then I declare Uzumaki Naruto the Rokudaime Hokage of Konohagakure no Sato.

Instead of jumping for joy, as Shikaku half expected the boy to do, Naruto's brows knit together in concern.

"If I may, though, Daimyo-sama, I have a request to make." Naruto's eyes held uncertainty, but he seemed determined to push forward.

"What is it, Hokage-dono?" The Daimyo asked encouragingly, spotting the boy's hesitation.

"I wish for my appointment to be kept secret for a week. We need the time to recover and prepare to fight Akatsuki. If Madara finds out I'm Hokage, he'll move swiftly. We need to buy some time. Before it comes to that, I need to pay a visit to the toads and convene a meeting of the five Kage. I would like to appoint Danzo-dono interim Hokage in the meantime."

By the time he'd finished speaking he seemed much more confident, while the others in the room were instead surprised by the blonde's plans. Shikaku raised an eyebrow in interest and quickly calculated the advantages and disadvantages involved.

"You risk offending the other Kage by hiding your identity." Not to mention the risk of appointing Danzo interim anything, he mused silently.

Naruto nodded slowly, clearly thinking quickly.

"Yes, but I don't believe that Madara will just sit back and watch the five kage meet. He's managed to keep his identity a secret for a very long time, so its safe to assume he'll be able to find out the location of the meeting. I may risk offending the other Kage, but Madara is a greater threat, so hopefully they will understand that you have to fool your allies in order to fool your enemy."

Danzo was quick to react to that. "The other nations have never been our true allies. You are foolish to take their cooperation for granted."

Naruto narrowed his eyes at the man, "Madara threatens to destroy us all. If the five nations can't become true allies, then there is no hope of stopping him."

Naruto's eyes warmed as he turned to Shikaku. "I will leave the details of the meeting to you if I may, Shikaku-san."

Shikaku smiled a little and bowed his head slightly, "Of course, Hokage-sama."

The Daimyo took the opportunity to end the meeting, knowing the ninja had very little time to make preparations. Naruto hung back; careful to let the interim Hokage exit the building ahead of him.

Naruto found himself looking up at the elderly man as he swept by, a cunning glimmer of understanding in his eyes and maybe even...approval?"

Naruto's stomach twisted a little in guilt at that look, but he had promised to protect Konoha.

And he would.


End file.
